Shotgun cartridge



Nov. 15, 1932. H. w. BROWNSDON ET AL 1,887,989

SHOTGUN CARTRIDGE Filed NOV 13. 1950 Patented Nov. 15, 1932 HENRY WINDER BROWNSDON, 0F BIRMINGHAM, WALTER RULE NIMMO, O F IBUSHEY HEATH, AND GEORGE PATON POLLITT, PERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITE OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO IM- D, A CORPORATION OF GREAT BRITAIN SHO'I'GUN CARTRIDGE Application filed November 13, 1930, Serial No. 495,504, and in Great Britain February 12, 1930.

The invention relates to shot gun shells or cartridges, and more particularly to tracing pellets employed in such cartridges for indicating the direction of flight of the shot when a shot gun cartridge is fired. We have found that fiat-nosed pellets centre better than round-nose pellets, and that by placing the pellet in direct contact with the driving wad or undershot disc of the shot gun cartridge, the pellet is positively driven along the ax s of the cartridge. The fact that the pellet is already substantially embedded in the shot before it leaves the gun ensures that it will be retained in this position during flight, since the surrounding shot shields it from distlilirbing influences which might deflect its pat The primary object of the present invention is accordingly to provide improved means whereby on the firing of a shot gun cartridge the shooter will be able visually to follow the path or direction in which substantially the whole of the shots or pellets are travelling and thus have guidance to aid him in the aiming of the gun for the hitting of any desired object.

The invention consists in a shot gun tracer cartridge including in a hollow container or pellet a heavily pressed tracer composition primed with a more readily ignita-ble composition by the medium of which the heavily pressed tracer composition is ignited, the tracer composition consisting for example of a mixture of magnesium powder and barium peroxide, the priming composition consisting for example of a less heavily pressed composition of the same nature, or a composition sensitive to shock or friction such as, for instancea mixture of mercury fulminate, potassium chlorate, and antimony sulphide.

The invention also consists in a shot gun tracer cartridge according to the preceding paragraph in which the tracer pellet is positioned centrally and at the base of the shot charge and in direct contact with the driving wad or undershot disc of the shot gun cartridge.

The invention also consists in the tracer shot gun cartridges substantially as herein described.

The accompanying diagrammatic drawing illustrates how the invention may be carried into effect Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation through a complete cartridge:

Figure 2 shows larged scale.

In carrying the invention into eflect in the form illustrated in Figure 1, the cartridge comprises the usual case a, percussion cap 6, powder charge 0, disc d, wad 6, disc f, shot charge 9 and disc k.

In addition there is provided a. tracer pellet indicated as a whole by the reference letter 2', this being located in the example shown, about the longitudinal axis of the cartrid e by means of a comparatively thick disc f with a central perforation, the clearance between which and the tracer pellet is somewhat exaggerated in the drawing for the sake of clearness. The open end of the tracer pellet i communicates with an aperture j in the wad e and an aperture 70 in the disc (Z with the powder charge 0. The tracer pellet i is formed as shown in Figure 2 but inserted in an inverted position.

In the form shown in Figure 2, the tracer pellet consists of a copper shell Z containing lead m for the purpose of weighting it, some compressed magnesium and barium peroxide mixture 71. and some comparatively lightly pressed magnesium and barium peroxide mixture 0. The lightly pressed composition 0 may be held in place in any suitable Way, for example by means of a light celluloid disc (not shown) above it or by means of a thin layer of varnish.

When using a mixture of magnesium powder and barium peroxide as the tracer composition, we regard this priming charge, whether it be of similar nature but lightly pressed, or whether it be of a sensitive composition of different nature, as of great importance in ensuring the certain ignition and the burning of the tracer composition.

General The positioning of the tracer pellet centrally and at the base of the shot charge is of great importance if the tracer pellet is to a tracer pellet to an enpattern centrally relative to the small shot. In other words the haphazard introduction of a tracer pellet into the shot charge will not pattern centrally and therefore will not give a true indication of the flight of the shot column.

The tracer composition which we employ is one which is light producing as distinct from smoke producing.

The invention is not limited to the particular indicating compositions.

It the lightly pressed priming charge of the barium peroxide and magnesium mixture referred to above is replaced by a sensitive composition such as one containing mercury fulminate, potassium chlorate, and antimony sulphide, as used for the priming of percussion caps, then ignition of the tracer composition may be brought about even in the absence of a communicating channel through the wads. In this case the tracer pellet should be so positioned that some of the small shot in the shot charge may function as anvils for the ignition of the sensitive priming composition. For example, the tracer pellet may be placed mouth upwards at the base of the shot charge instead of mouth downwards as is the case when the pellet is ignited through a communicating channel made in the wads.

We claim:

1. In a shot gun shell containing a powder charge, a shot charge, and a driving wad interposed between the powder charge and shot charge, a tracer pellet for indicating the path of the shot, comprising a small cylinder containing the tracing composition, which cylinder is closed at one end and open at the other,

the open end of said cylinder resting upon the driving wad, while the remainder of the pellet is embedded in the shot charge, whereby the pellet is positively driven by the wad and is accurately centered in the midst of the flying shot.

2. In a shot gun cartridge as defined in claim 1, a tracer pellet containing a charge of highly compressed tracing composition and a superposed charge of priming composition, the latter composition being recessed into the tracing composition so as to provide an extended surface for ignition.

3. A shot gun cartridge comprising a shell containing a powder charge, a shot charge, and driving wad-ding interposed between the powder charge and the shot charge, said wadding having an opening therein in the direction of the shot charge, a tracer pellet seated in said opening but spaced laterally from the walls thereof, one end of said pellet resting upon said wadding and the other end contacting with said shot charge whereby the pellet is positively driven by the wadding and is accurately centered in the midst of the flying shot.

4. A shot gun cartridge comprising a shell ee'aeee containing a powder charge, a shot charge, and a plurality of driving wads interposed between the powder charge and the shot charge, the foremost wad having a central cylindrical opening therein in the direction of the shot charge and a rearward wad having therein leading to the powder charge, the

closed end of said pellet being in direct contact with the shot charge whereby the pellet is positively driven by the rearward wad and is accurately centered in the midst of the flying shot.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

HENRY WINDER BROWNSDON.

WALTER RULE NIMMO.

GEQRGE PATON POLLITT.

III 

